ENNANGALIN SANGAMAM 2015 NDSO Networking and Development Centre for ok Service Organizations BE INSPIRED J. PRABHAKAR Founder and Managing Trustee, NDSO D/4, Varasidhi Vinayagar Apartments, 10, 5th Cross Street, Trustpuram, Chennai - 600 024. Mobile: +91- 96001 99110 Email: [email protected] ; [email protected] Website: www.ndsoindia.org Vaazhga valamudan, Greetings from the Networking and Development center for Social Organisations (NDSO). On the 10th year of its inception ndso feels happy and proud to place this informative and motivating guide book in your hands. Today more than 1000 social organisations have been linked to be of some help to them in our own humble way. NDSO considers every social organisation as people’s solution for national problems. Problems are created by the people;therefore the solutions also have to come from them, rather than from the government.It is with this view in mind we look for the most effective and well run social organisations and link them to make social service a people’s movement. In a vast country like ours , every sector offers enormous challenges to make it nation oriented and promoting peoples welfare. Education, orphans care,senior citizen care, medical facilities, agriculture, environmental issues, sharing of water and natural resources, rural welfare, the welfare of the physically and mentally challenged children, prohibition, poverty, violence against women, drugs are some of the sectors that need our immediate attention. Every one of us have the role to play to make the above sectors national growth oriented and effectively helping everyone of us to play our role in a most effective way so that our country becomes livable for all of us and lovable for all people of the world. NDSO rededicates itself, through social organisations to make our country both strong and ethical in all possible ways. With regards DR.Alagar ramanujam Chairman, ndso, chennai Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharishi’s abode at Thiruvannamalai Let us stand tall, strong and steadfast by the sacred influence of this holy mountain in all our endeavors. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] AUTHOR’S NOTE “Do not be afraid of a small beginning; great things come afterwards. Be courageous. Do Ü¡¹¬ìf˜, õí‚è‹. not try to lead your brethren, but serve them.” – counsels Swami Vivekananda. êè ñQî˜èO¡ ¶ò˜¶¬ìˆ¶‹, êÍè ñ£ŸøˆFŸ°‹ At the behest of Sri J. Prabhakar, when I started writing articles for “Be Inspired”, I just wondered how I shall continue writing for this second edition and from where could I ð£´ð†´ õ¼‹ ïð˜è¬÷, ܬñŠ¹è¬÷, Ôâ‡íƒèO¡ get people who could influence others. But what surprised me was that not only could êƒèñ‹Õ °¿M¬ù„ «ê˜‰î F¼ñF Aó‡ Üõ˜èœ ñ‚è¬÷ I continue writing on different inspiring people each week but I could identify people across all age-groups and gender, who are self-motivated and working ceaselessly for the êÍèðE‚° F¼Šð¾‹ Ôè‡ì«î 裆C ªè£‡ì«î «è£ô‹Õ development of their fellow brethren, inspite of their personal challenges and hardships. â¡Á ²òïô «ð£‚°ì¡ õ£¿‹ ñQî˜è¬÷ ªî£‡´ This edition narrates the stories of many youngsters, like Udhavum Ullangal Gavasker, ðE‚° F¼Š¹‹ ªð£¼†´, ªê¡ø ݇´ ‘Be Inspired’ Aakkam Saravanan, Sirpigal Vinoth, Shasha Prem, Madurai Muniasamy and Payanam â¡ø ¹ˆîèˆF¡ ºî™ ªî£°ŠH¬ù ªõOJ†ì£˜èœ. Baskar, who are the ‘Pillars of Hope’ of our developing country. The determination shown by the women SVEST Shanthini, Physically Challenged Poornodhaya Kalaiarasi, Sudar oli Nalini, Lecturer Chithra and LIFE Kalaivani, against all challenges thrown Þ‰î ݇´‹ ð™«õÁ ðEèœ ªêŒ¶ Ô°ìˆFL†ì upon them, sets an example for others to follow. M÷‚裌 Þ™ô£ñ™, °¡P¡«ñ™ M÷‚裌 ãŸP Utilizing their professional experience to societal good has made even the Government ¬õˆ¶œ÷£˜èœ. Üõ˜èœ ðEJ¬ù  ܬùõ¼‹ to work in coordination with RAAC Raveendran and CMA Parameshwaran. Sustained ð£ó£†´«õ£‹, ï¡P ÃÁ«õ£‹. efforts with patience and perseverance reflect in the attitude of David Barun, KARD Basil Rajan, Aum Murugan, CANDLE Palanisamy, KOODU Sunny and Little Drops Paul ªî£ì˜‰¶ îIöè‹ âƒ°‹ ªê¡Á, ï™ô â‡í‹ ªè£‡ì towards working towards upliftment of the lower strata of society. How an entire family unites to serve can be noted from the families of Ambalavanan and ïð˜è¬÷, ܬñŠ¹è¬÷ «ê¬õò£÷˜è¬÷, êÍèˆFŸ° Deivaraj. Interesting and distinct paths of service can be learnt from Pitchai Amudhan’s F¼ JP Üõ˜èœ õNJ™, ‹ ïñ¶ ð°FJ™ àœ÷ «ê¬õ care for twins and VSET Ravichandar’s living values education programs. Practices to ò£÷˜è¬÷, îQïð˜è¬÷, ܬñŠ¹è¬÷ ܬìò£÷‹ instill confidence among younger generation can be adopted from Winner Johnbasha, Yoga Suresh Kumar and Victory Thanigaivel. 致 弃A¬íˆ¶ õ¼‹ ñ£˜„ 31‚°œ 10,000 êÍè To ‘be inspired’ is great; to ‘inspire’ is incredible. Each of these articles is a unique ݘõô˜è÷£™ 弃A¬í»‹ ñ¶ åNŠ¹, c˜G¬ôèœ inspiring effort done by unsung heroes of our society that can serve as a trigger to kindle ð£¶è£Š¹ â¡ø ªð£¶«ï£‚èƒèO™ «ê˜‰¶ ªêò™ð´«õ£‹. your service attitude. Hope you would be inspired and mould your lives inspiring to others. Þ‰î «îꈬî ð£¶è£‚è F†ì‹ õ°Š«ð£‹. R. KIRAN Best Wishes. Founder and Managing Trustee N. SIVAKUMAR, Inspire Charitable Trust M.A.B.L., M.A (WMCO), M.A. +91-9840447510 Co-ordinator – NDSO, Advocate [email protected] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Note about NDSO attempt to gather 100 heroic youth who are doing yeomen service to our society and acknowledged them with “Vivekandar Virudhu” on 30th June 2013. Swami Vimurtananda Maharaj, Raja N. Kumaran Sethupathy of Ramnad, Sri Alasinga “Ennangalin Sangamam” (Meeting of minds) is a forum of voluntary social Perumal, grandson of Sri Alasinga Perumal and Sri K. Vaidhyanathan, Editor, activists/institutions engaged in various fields of social welfare and humanitarian Dhinamani graced the occasion. services in and around Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states. It has evolved from a small group of like minded people to a massive organization of more than Based on request from Sri Ramakrishna Mutt, Chennai, our 9th year meet 1000 socially conscious institutions over a period of ten years. scheduled for Jan 2014, was held ahead in Dec 2013 at the Mutt premises, wherein more than 800 organizations were honoured with an award by Sri We started organizing meetings of like minded people/service organizations Ramakrishna Mutt, Chennai. Sri Gauthamananda Maharaj blessed the occasion every year on the first Sunday of January in a reputed place to share our with his presence along with Sri. R. Seshasayee, Ashok Leyland. In the year experiences and discuss for further progress to extend our services to the 2014, hundreds of youth across all parts of Tamilnadu and other states were met humanity. Ours is a ‘sangamam’ of noble souls wherein both providers of help and encouraged to take up water conservation works and rain water harvesting and seekers of help are present. projects. Currently many water reservoirs like tanks and lakes are being cleaned We are pleased to state that our noble work has spread in almost all districts and conserved by youth encouraged by NDSO. of Tamilnadu and therefore a non-profit Trust has been formed in the name ‘Networking and Development Centre for Service Organizations – NDSO’. We are very grateful for your continuous support for Ennangalin Sangamam. Sri. Dr. Azahagar Ramanujam, former Principal of NGM College, a renowned We emphasize it should go on forever. devotee of Vedatri Mahrishi, is now heading our Trust with a group of dynamic, Thanking you. well known social workers. Yours in service, Our first year meet was initiated, inaugurated and supported by Sri. Dr. N. HARIHARA SUBRAMANIAN, Founder Trustee, NDSO S.S.Badrinath, Emeritus Chairman of Sankara Nethralaya and Swami Vimurtananda Maharaj of Sri Ramakrishna Mutt at Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai on January 08, 2006. In the Annual meet of the previous years, we had the presence and blessings of eminent people such as Dr.M.S.Udayamurthy, an eminent social awakening leader, Sri Ramakrishnan of Amar Seva Sangam, Ayakudi, Swami Mukthanandaji of Anandashram, Kanjangode, Kerala, Sri. Dr.N.Mahalingam and other such leading personalities. In the year 2011 Manidha Neyam founder Sri. Saidai Duraisami and in the year 2012 Justice Smt. Prabha Sridevan and Pudhiya Thalaimurai Sri. Malan graced the occasion. In the year 2013, Kolimalai Swami Paramananda, Marabin Mainthan Muthiah and many more have honoured our organization by participating in the meets. In the mid of year 2013, we had a meet at Uthankkarai, with the presence of Swami Thiagarajananda, President of Sri Ramakrishna Mutt, Nattrampalli. On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary we made an [ 6 ] [ 7 ] IN028 28 Nov, 2013 supply, the problems in the local ration shop etc. and using collective strength they EMPOWERING WOMEN TO STRENGTHEN SOCIETY are often able to bring about dramatic changes. They ensure In the tribal Palani hills region, until few years proper implementation of back, rural women had nowhere else to go, during government welfare schemes. any financial emergency but to the traditional In 2007, the SHGs took up and moneylenders. They bore the heavy burden of implemented a government exorbitant interest rates charged by them and scheme to build toilets for each toiled years together to recover from the debt. home and completely eliminated open defecation. They constructed more than six But today, these women have started tiny businesses like running grocery shops, hundred toilets in three panchayats under this scheme.